


Maybe Things Are Going to be Okay

by bellasgonemissing



Series: She Kisses Like She Dances [1]
Category: Leah on the Offbeat - Becky Albertalli, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli
Genre: Apologies, F/F, Gen, I just love Nick okay, I wanted this to happen in the book, Kind of angsty, Kind of fluffy, Missing Scene, One Shot, these kids need to talk to each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 20:24:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14552829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellasgonemissing/pseuds/bellasgonemissing
Summary: Leah on the Offbeat spoilers !!Leah and Nick work things out after prom





	Maybe Things Are Going to be Okay

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished Leah on the Offbeat and had to write fanfic immediately. Here's a scene that I thought should have been in the book.  
> This is going to be a series of Leah oneshots, there will be a lot more Leah/Abby after this one (:

I text Nick to say I’m outside his house, trying to get some air into my lungs. It’s strange, a month ago, going over to Nick’s wouldn’t have been a big deal at all, it wouldn’t have even been a thing but now it’s making my stomach lurch. I scuff my boots on the driveway, waiting for him to reply. After a full three minutes of standing there, the door opens slowly. Nick’s standing there, trying to smile but not doing a very good job of it.

‘Hi Leah.’ He’s barely looking at me. I hate this.

‘Um hey Nick, can we talk?’

He pauses for a second before sighing and standing aside to let me inside. I lead the way down to his basement and awkwardly perch on the edge of a video game chair. He sits on the couch, nervously rubbing his legs.

‘So. You and Abby.’ He says, not meeting my eyes.

‘Me and Abby.’ It’s still a little hard to believe there even is a me and Abby. But now that I’m here, sitting across from Nick I feel so unbelievably shitty about it. ‘I’m sorry.’

He runs his hand through his hair, looking anxious. ‘So when I was worried about her making out with some frat bro on that roadtrip, she was actually making with you?’ There’s a hint of bitter amusement in his voice.

‘Nick. Jesus. It was so confusing for both of us. She was drunk. I was freaking out. It was all a mess. I’m so sorry that had to happen so soon after…y’know.’

He actually looks at me then. ‘Fuck Leah I’m so mad at you, how is she so ready to move on when I’m nowhere near that point yet? And with my best friend.’

I look down. ‘I suck so much. You should hate me, I would.’ I’m still not looking at him.

‘Leah I don’t hate you. This has been a pretty shitty few weeks for me and this doesn’t make it any better but I don’t hate you for it.’

I am not going to cry. ‘I’m still just the worst friend ever.’

His voice softens. ‘Not at all, you’re an amazing friend. I’m not going lose your friendship over this.’ A pause. ‘And look, I’ve been kind of shitty too, to Abby. I was so angry at her and I took it out on her and everyone around me which isn’t fair. It so hard cause I love her y’know? And it sucks to think that she doesn’t love me. That she couldn’t even make an effort for me.’ He’s pressing his thumb and fingers together, eyes sad.

‘It’s not that she didn’t want to make an effort for you Nick. She just couldn’t see it working out and didn’t want everything to fall apart once you got to college.’

‘But it works for a lot of people.’ He protests. ‘Simon and Bram are doing it.’

I sigh. This is so complicated and he should be having this conversation with Abby, not me. ‘It’s kind of different for them though I guess. You and Abby were all over each other, even before you started dating. They spent the first months of their relationship without even seeing each other’s faces.’

‘Fuck, you’re right. I guess I just thought that she’d be up for it. We’d be the exception, the ones to make it work.’ He relaxes a little bit and puts on a smile that’s a least partly real. ‘But I guess there’ll be no problem with distance now that you two will be roommates.’

I blush and squirm a little in my chair. It still feels so weird talking about this with him. ‘I guess not.’

‘Hey Leah, I know what it feels like to be in love with Abby Suso. I don’t blame you for going all in. And I think I’ll be able to be happy for you in while. I’ve sort of suspected you’ve had a crush on her for ages.’

I stare at him. ‘You knew I’m not straight?’

‘No, I didn’t _know_. I just saw the way you acted around Abby when she first got here and other girls before that and it made sense that you wouldn’t be straight.’

So I guess I wasn’t that subtle after all. ‘Wow, Simon had no idea at all.’

He laughs. ‘Yeah, well Simon’s not the most observant person in the world’. That’s a fucking understatement. So much for the one who sees and hears everything.

‘Abby though’, he continues, ‘I had no idea.’

‘Neither. I thought she was practically the straightest person in the world.’ I smile slightly, thinking how fucking lucky it is that she isn’t.

‘You’re kind of adorable when you like someone Leah.’ So I guess I’m blushing again.

‘Speaking of liking someone’ I turn it back on him, ‘Taylor Metternich!?’

‘Ugh.’ He buries his face in his hands, ‘I can’t believe I did that at prom, I’m the worst.’

‘It was pretty sucky.’ I mean, I’m not going to deny it. ‘But you seemed kind of flirty with her even before that, what’s going on?’

‘I mean, fuck I guess I kind of like her.’

I let out a short snort. ‘For what, her highly fast metabolism? Her super-brushed hair?’

‘She’s actually pretty badass when she wants to be. But I don’t know, I don’t think I could date anyone, not yet.’

I mean I just don’t get it, at all. How could you go from dating someone as amazing as Abby to dating Taylor Metternich? But I guess this isn’t the time to make snarky comments about it. ‘Well I mean she seems pretty into you so maybe you should go for it. If she makes you happy. When you’re ready.’

‘I’m glad you have someone to make you happy Leah, you really deserve that.’

And I am so overwhelmed with love for my best friend but also with a sadness because there aren’t going to be many more days like this. Sitting in Nick’s basement and talking.

‘I love you Nick.’

He grins. ‘I love you too Leah.’

‘And you’ll talk to Abby, yeah? You need to explain this stuff to her.’

‘Yeah, yeah I will, I just want to be able to calm down so I don’t go off at her or do anything too drastic.’

‘You’re going to be okay Nick, you know that? This isn’t the end of the world no matter how much it might feel like it.’

‘Thanks Leah, I’m sorry for being so weird over the past few weeks.’

I get up from the rocking chair and flop down next to him on the couch, taking my sketchpad out of my backpack. I still haven’t drawn Abby’s commission but I will. I need to get it right. Nick picks up his guitar from beside the couch and starts to strum out a soft tune. And I am absolutely not going to do anything cliché like lean my head on his shoulder. I lean my head on his shoulder.

So maybe things can be normal for a little while longer. Maybe these days in Nick’s basement don’t have to end quite yet. And maybe things really are going to be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Nick didn't get the ending he deserved, he was so attacked during LOTO but I love him I don't want him to be a bad guy


End file.
